Borrowing books

Library membership enables you to borrow and request books from our libraries.

To borrow books, bring them to the issue desk or self service machine along with your library card. If an item is not accessible from your library, you can request it.

You will be given a date when the books are due for return, however most of your books will renew automatically at the end of the loan period.

Automatic renewals

Most of your loans will be renewed automatically, provided they have not been requested by anyone else. You'll receive an email if your item has been requested so you know it won't renew. You can also check 'My Library Account' on LibrarySearch; any requested books will show as 'Not renewable' in the Status column. You will be able to keep the book until the due date, you should then return it to any Cardiff University Library.

Requesting

You can request items which are already on loan or are in another Cardiff University library using LibrarySearch. Older, less-used items held in Library Stores (displayed on LibrarySearch with the location 'Talybont Research Reserve Ask at desk') can also be requested using LibrarySearch. You can choose which library (Pickup Location) you would like to collect your book from when you place your request. Please allow 1-2 days for items from another library to be delivered to your chosen Pickup Location.

check your LibrarySearch account regularly to find out when your requests are ready to collect

requested items are held for a limited period and can be collected from the relevant library.

Books from NHS Wales hospital libraries

If you are a member of our libraries and wish to borrow a book from an NHS Wales hospital library, log in to LibrarySearch and request the book using the Inter-Library Loan Request link.

Items from other libraries

If you are certain that the item you require is not available or accessible via LibrarySearch, you may be able to request it from another library (Inter-Library Loan).

Please note that this will incur a charge and may not be available to all membership types. Ask at any library for more information.

Returning

You can return books to any library with the exception of four-hour loans, which must be returned to the library they were borrowed from.

Lost or stolen books

If any library items are lost or stolen from you, please contact the issuing library immediately. You will be liable for the replacement cost of any items which are lost or stolen from your possession.

Fines may also be charged for overdue items which are subsequently reported as lost or stolen.